I was walking downtown with Léo and I saw a woman asking for money. She had a baby with her, her 8-month old son. That just broke my heart. So I gave her the change I had and went to a store. But it bugged me that I didn't do more, so I asked what her baby needed. She said diapers and wipes. So off I went and bought just that -plus butt cream, just in case. When I went back to her, I noticed that she had another bag from the same store I had just gone to -I saw another mom talk to her and I'm sure she and I had the same idea.
I know this is not a solution. It's temporary -it lasts only as long as the diapers last. It's definitely not sustainable. It doesn't empower her. But it helps her right now. It's been proven that not enough diapers = diaper rash = crying baby = more stress for parents = sometimes violence against children. So, maybe having enough diapers for a week will give this mom relief.
And this reminds me to have a soft heart for donors who want to "do something now" and "give stuff" to a community. It'll remind me to educate rather than judge. Change is gradual -both in donors and in the communities we serve.
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Totally unrelated... Tonight Léo was in a good mood again! He slept through the night yesterday (yes! Plus Joe was on "duty" last night so he's on again tonight) but he didn't take a morning nap. He was tired when I picked him up from daycare but the evening was awesome. At one point we gave him a popsicle (he had one yesterday when he fell again and his gum bled so tonight when Joe ate one he wanted it. NOW!) and he wanted to be held. I obliged and he gave me the biggest hug. Yeah... that meant I had ice cold sticky goo all over my back and neck. So I jumped in the bath and had Léo join me. He's been afraid of baths lately and it's the only time he stayed in the water for more than 10 seconds. It was nice to take a bath with him (and he's 13 months so I don't feel weird about being naked next to him). After that we went to his bedroom and chilled -we added that to his routine so that we have more calm time together before bed time. We read. WE. READ. Usually he eats books but this time he was attentive, pointed to the picture of the dog, kissed the picture of the dog, and enjoyed turning the pages. It was so sweet.
I am enjoying his good mood, cuddles, and ability to chill a bit before bed time. He's just so precious, fun, and cute these days!
3 comments:
What a cutie pie! I'm still so disappointed I didn't get to see him a couple weeks ago! Oh well!
I agree with you - sometimes you do have to hand stuff out. And you don't know what that'll do for their heart/mind/morale. Maybe it will have a longer term impact than we think?! Good for you. Lots of us think of doing those things, but you went the extra step!
What an awesome thing for you to do! I'll never forget a time when I needed groceries but couldn't afford anything healthy to eat. Someone recognized this, went on a casual shopping trip with me and while I thought they were buying themselves stuff they ended up loading it in my car and sending me on my way. I'll never forget their kindness, and I can guarantee you the lady you helped won't ever forget what you did for her. We don't always know what is going on in other people's lives but it's the seemingly small things we do sometimes that make such a large impact on others when we least expect it. Go Mama J!
Yeah, sometimes it's tough knowing what the 'right' thing to do is. And honestly, I think you did the right thing, at the right time. It's unlikely the woman will forget the kindness of strangers, and hopefully she'll pass on that kindness to others as well.
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